Blog Herding: Community Edition 08/15/13

There were plenty of rookie bloggers submitting
exceptional content again this week with several of them being featured here.
Of course the veterans who continually answer the call week in and week out
were present too.

Extra
Life 2013 – Team GIO Update #2With less than 90 days until the Extra Life charity
event, Zachary Pligge provides a status update on the number of contributors
and the amount of donations that have been pledged so far.

Community Blogs:

My
Top 10 Nostalgic Game FranchisesNostalgia is defined as a sentimental
yearning for the happiness of a former place or time, but in the context of DrJoeystein's
blog, it's reminiscing about games you have fond memories of.

Where Did Nintendo Go Wrong?Certainly not the only gamer to voice his opinion on Nintendo and the ongoing struggles they are faced with, Marco Polo shares his thoughts and includes a few bold predictions about Nintendo's way forward.

The
Dog Days Of GamingIt's been awhile since we've
been blessed by the captivating writings of David Chandler, but he's back with a blog about what we're playing during the historically slow part of year marked by
fewer game releases.

The
Grind: The Good And The BadThe Destroyer is here to
discuss the pros and cons of grinding – the practice of wading through waves of lesser
enemies in an effort to level up your hero character.

An
Overlooked Game Of E3A short but relevant blog from firedude3663
focusing a game that didn't get a lot of coverage at one of the most
contentious E3s in recent history: Plants vs. Zombies Garden
Warfare.

Video
Games By The LetterIt's not every day a blog
consisting of a few words and a single image gets featured, but this brilliant
puzzle from Jeremy Sturgill is worth your attention. Try it out and see how
many you get right.

I'm
Gonna Miss My Free TimeCaptivated by the intrigue
found in Terraria, AshaMan3000 raves about the action-adventure role-playing
game released by independent game studio Re-Logic.

The
Sarkeesian TropeA provocative piece courtesy of
bombstopper focusing on a Kickstarter project created to address the five
common and recurring stereotypes of female characters in video games.

Ambitious
Title Ideas I'd Love To SeeJohn Wrek briefly discusses a
few innovative ideas he would like to see incorporated into the future of
gaming while providing a brief summary of each. Join in on the discussion and
share your own ideas.

My
Top Ten Video Game OpeningsThe opening scene to any video
game often gives us the first real glimpse of what is to come. Eric Watson
lists some of his favorites intros while including a convenient video clip for
each.

Top
10 Scariest Clowns In GamingWhat adversary is worse than
zombies, aliens, ninjas, and robots? Why, clowns of course! User xl9 compiles a
list of the top ten scariest clowns lurking in some of your favorite video
games.

Community Reviews:

Less
Of An Inferno, More Of A Brush FireAlthough DmC: Devil May Cry received
mostly positive reviews, not all fans of the series were as enamored with the
latest installment as witnessed by this
unapologetic review from jconner800.

Don't forget to send your feedback, recommendations, and
community events in to my personal Game Informer account located here to
ensure this feature continues to provide the content you're eager to read.